Doing big things together

It’s not every day that a simple interaction with a professor leads you to the Olympics,
or even to finding a trusted mentor, but it is for students who are lucky enough to
interact with John Grady. After 13 years at the University of South Carolina, these
inspiring interactions have resulted in Grady being honored with the 2017 Outstanding
Advocate for First-Year Students Award.

“Dr. Grady has been a reliable source from the time I met him,” says senior engineering
major Will Hickman, who got to know Grady through fraternity life. “He has worked
as a liaison for my organization and has stood up for us in order to get needed changes.
We will always be grateful for that.”

An associate professor and the undergraduate program director of the sport and entertainment
management department, Grady does not often come in contact with first-year students
in the classroom. Instead, he serves as a personal mentor for many students whom he
has met through his roles as a faculty associate at Preston Residential College, as
faculty adviser for the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, and as an adviser to the Sport
and Entertainment Management living and learning community.

John Grady (right) and senior Anthony Carson presented their research findings from
the 2016 Rio Olympics at Harvard School of Law.

“When you serve first-year students, you help set their path for the next four years,”
Grady says. “You get to guide them toward cool experiences that you know will benefit
them and help them achieve their goals.”

Grady was nominated for the award by a current student of his from the SPTE program
who describes him as an “incredible advocate.” After a thorough interview process,
Grady was selected because of his ability to guide and support incoming students,
making their transitions as seamless as possible.

“Dr. Grady is a wonderful example of the caring and dedicated faculty we have at Carolina,”
says Dan Friedman, director of U101 Programs, which sponsors the first-year advocate
award. “He goes above and beyond to ensure that the first-year students with whom
he works are supported, challenged and engaged.”

Before arriving on campus, incoming freshmen ready the same book as part of the First-Year
Reading Experience. This year’s book was “Callings” by Dave Isay, a book about finding
your passion and doing the things you love — two things Grady says are key for first-year
students.

“To me, the first-year experience is your clean slate,” says Grady. “Everything you
encounter during that time will shape your next four years, so it is important for
me to help students along their paths during that time.”

Not only has Grady helped students along their paths, but his interactions with them
have driven him to achieve goals of his own, including attending the 2016 Rio Olympics.
One of the students Grady traveled with was Anthony Carson, whom he met the first
day Carson walked onto campus. Through a simple conversation, Grady sparked an interest
in Carson and three years later, the two were studying the shifts in the marketing
landscape of Olympic sponsorships at the Rio games.

“I remember standing in the Atlanta airport waiting on him to go to Rio,” says Grady.
“When he finally arrived, I turned to him and said: ‘Here we are, going to the Rio
Olympics just like I promised you three years ago.’ ”

Grady says building relationships with students when they first arrive is important.

“I always tell my students: set your dreams high, then work step by step to achieve
them. We have all of the resources you need right here. Let’s do big things together.”